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#2094810 - 01/04/07 01:44 AM LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #08  
Joined: Jan 2001
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BeachAV8R Offline
Lifer
BeachAV8R  Offline
Lifer

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Posts: 24,314
KCLT


Time to blow stuff up! Hoo-rah! Enough of this flying and navigating stuff; while all of those are very important and will continue to be the basis for all that follows, the Su-25T isn’t a training aircraft, it is an attack warplane. My instructor has flown my training aircraft over to Novorossijsk and I’ve driven up the coast from my last landing spot, Gelendzhik. After witnessing some of the action near the front over the past couple days I’m anxious to get cracking on weapons training.

Today we’ll be flying a short training hop down the coast past Gelendzhik (allied forces have cleared out the enemy troops that were laying siege to Gelendzhik) before crossing the coast to enter a long valley leading up to the northwest. Terrain masking is an important part of surviving on the battlefield for the –T and learning to use the terrain contours to the best advantage is essential. After entering the valley we will have several target sites with passive targets set up for our use.



We can see the contour lines along the route which indicate a valley and the bordering ridgelines. During the preflight briefing it is extremely important to familiarize yourself with the terrain, waypoint locations, target locations, and telling landmarks to help you maintain situational awareness during the flight.



For the flight today we’ll be hauling along some of the typical tools of the trade including dumb bombs, rockets and air-to-air missiles. We’ll be carrying four FAB-100 (100 kg./ 220 lbs.) which are unguided bombs similar to the “Mark” series carried by the United States attack aircraft (Mk-81 specifically). Two RBK-250 cluster bombs round out the free-fall weapons, consisting of 150 individual fragmentation bomblets. Loaded near the wing root, two B-8 rocket launchers contain 20 (each) 80mm rockets. The rockets are similar to the U.S. 2.75” folding-fin aerial rocket. At the most outboard stations are loaded R-60M short range heat seeking missiles (AA-8 ‘Aphid’). Since the mission stage length is so short we are carrying only a 50% internal load of fuel (1895 kg.).



Weather is mild today with only a slight crosswind and light winds and turbulence aloft.



The morning is brilliant and beautiful; a great day for flying and making things explode!



After going through the now familiar cockpit setup and engine start procedure I check the fuel gauges and note the mission start time (0800).



Soon enough I’ve taxied out to the runway and received takeoff clearance and am rocketing off into the early morning light.



Cont…



Inline advert (2nd and 3rd post)

#2094811 - 01/04/07 01:44 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #08  
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BeachAV8R Offline
Lifer
BeachAV8R  Offline
Lifer

Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 24,314
KCLT
Climbing out from the airfield I settle in toward the first waypoint and engage the autopilot so that I can explore the weapons modes a little bit while I’m enroute to the target areas. Hitting the autopilot key I ensure we are on course and on the correct altitude before diverting my attention. Remember, it only takes a moment of distraction to plow your aircraft into the ground.





Approaching Gelendzhik the autopilot banks us toward the coast.







Entering the valley I double check my position on the map. It would be a LOT easier if the map included the mission waypoints but unfortunately that isn’t the case.



Looking through the HUD I match up what I expect to see with what is actually out there. The map shows a river twisting though the valley floor and sure enough I appear to be on course. Hitting the “7” key I pull up the air-to-ground HUD mode. The dashed lines along the bottom of the HUD represent the loaded wing stations and the numbers above indicate the active weapons (in this case stations 2, 3, 9 & 10). The HUD weapons status is mirrored on the Weapons Readiness Panel down in the cockpit (shown below the HUD in this screenshot). The illuminated amber lights indicate weapons loaded on each station while the green lights underneath indicate a “ready” status for the selected station.



Zipping down the valley I start comparing my position to the target icons on the map. I’ve not been using labels during my flying and it has been very difficult, but I think the difficulty in spotting targets is fairly accurate. They don’t put camouflage on those vehicles for nothing! On a real combat mission I would be flying lower and faster, but for this training sortie I can afford to be a little more liberal with my altitude and approach.



Cont…



#2094812 - 01/04/07 01:45 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #08  
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BeachAV8R Offline
Lifer
BeachAV8R  Offline
Lifer

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KCLT
Approaching the target area I start looking through the HUD to visually acquire the targets. This is where the TrackIR4 really shines since I can easily lean in and zoom the view, allowing me to just barely pick out the specks that are the vehicles.



Adopting my old Falcon 4 bombing technique I pitch up about 45 degrees, climb above the target, roll inverted and then pull the nose down onto the target before rolling back upright. Although the technique works with the Su-25T, the advanced flight model makes it much more difficult since there is a lot more “wobble” through the maneuvers. Flying the F-16 was like flying a laser beam compared to the –T!



Once the nose is back down on the target area I peer through the HUD and only have a couple seconds to pick out a target and place the pipper near it. The “LA” (Launch Authorized) appears in HUD indicating that launch parameters have been met and I press the pickle button releasing two FAB-100 bombs.





Unfortunately my first bomb drop attempt is a bit hurried and I hit short and left leaving the truck intact.





As I climb away I crane my neck trying to keep the target area in sight during the maneuver. It is extremely difficult though and once I lose sight I have to fly outbound a bit before returning and picking the vehicles up visually. Finally I spot them again and roll in for another pass with my two remaining FAB-100s.





Cont…



#2094813 - 01/04/07 01:45 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #08  
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BeachAV8R Offline
Lifer
BeachAV8R  Offline
Lifer

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KCLT
This time the lineup looks good as the bombs fall true and hit dead on target.



Boom! That’s what I’m talking about!





Pointing the nose toward the northwest I continue up the valley to the next target area. Again I spend a lot of time navigating visually by comparing the map to what I’m seeing out the window. The second target area lies at the junction of two rivers and is right next to a bridge, which should help in locating the targets.





You can also see in the HUD that the four wing stations where the FAB-100s were located are no longer displayed on the HUD (the dashed lines). Now the stations carrying the RBK-250 cluster bombs are ready for delivery. In a minute or two (again using the zoomed view through the HUD) I spot the target complex which is an inactive Patriot air-defense site.



This time I use the level bombing mode which is actually quite effective and easy. Simply place the pipper over the target early and press the pickle button causing the pipper to turn into a diamond. Continue holding the pickle button down and fly level across the target and the bombing computer will automatically calculate the proper release time for the bomb.





Cont…



#2094814 - 01/04/07 01:45 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #08  
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BeachAV8R Offline
Lifer
BeachAV8R  Offline
Lifer

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Posts: 24,314
KCLT
The RBK-250 cluster bomb is very effective against dispersed soft targets. The bomblet pattern and size depends on the delivery speed and altitude. As the bomblets spread across the site several of the launchers and the command vehicle go up in flames.





Since only one of the RBK-250s came off the rack the right wing is a bit heavier and “draggier” than the left resulting in a bit of roll toward the heavy wing. This can be trimmed out if you are going to fly for an extended period of time or you can just deal with it until the wing stores are symmetrical again.



Once you actually have a target burning at the site it is much easier to relocate the area again. It would be nice if the burning units emitted more of a persistent smoke plume (although with the hit that smoke puts on my FPS maybe not!) to allow for better reacquisition. I’m sure at night it is vastly easier to see the burning targets although flying at night has a whole bunch of other associated hazards.



Coming back around for a second pass I drop my remaining cluster bomb on the site but I stupidly line up along the same axis of attack and the bomblets don’t hit any of the remaining launchers.



With all of my bombs expended I head back down the valley to the truck park (the first target area) to try out my rocket pods. It takes a couple passes to find the targets again but I finally spot them and set up for my first rocket pass. Using the zoom view through the HUD during targeting seems to work the best since you can make such fine adjustments to the aiming pipper.



Once the “Launch Authorized” illuminates I pull the trigger and send a salvo of rockets screaming toward the target. They are definitely a cool weapon with lots of noise, smoke and flames!





Cont…



#2094815 - 01/04/07 01:45 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #08  
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BeachAV8R Offline
Lifer
BeachAV8R  Offline
Lifer

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Posts: 24,314
KCLT
The first pass results in a lot of brown dirt and smoke being thrown up, but no kills on the target vehicle. I pull up and arc around for another pass. This is fun stuff!



This time I settle my steering a bit and deploy my speedbrakes in the descent to give me more time to refine my aim. It is difficult to see though the smoke exhaust from the rockets but I see the sparkle flashes of the impacts followed shortly by a secondary explosion as one of the vehicles erupts in flames.





Alright! Another vehicle smolders and I set up for another pass; keeping in mind, of course, that this is a completely benign environment with no threats, allowing me the luxury of multiple passes without consequence.



On my third pass my rockets end up just shy of the target; frustratingly close!







With all of my rockets expended I head back to the northwest and pick up my planned flight path. I glance at my fuel gauge and see I have about 680 kg. of fuel remaining, just enough to get to the final target area and back home.



Cont…



#2094816 - 01/04/07 01:46 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #08  
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BeachAV8R Offline
Lifer
BeachAV8R  Offline
Lifer

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Posts: 24,314
KCLT
Heading out to the west I can see the final target on the map: a drone Mi-26 helicopter.



I use the map to “vector” myself towards the target and eventually pick up the slight speck of the target in the HUD. The rudimentary air-to-air HUD mode shows the left outboard wing station holding the R-60M is ready. Once the IR seeker locks on to the heat source from the helicopter the “LA” appears in the HUD with a low tone indicating the missile is tracking the target.



I pull the trigger and the missile leaps off the rail toward the target.



The helicopter starts ejecting flares and the first missile is lured away and explodes harmlessly on the ground.



Still closing on the target I launch the second missile.



Despite the flares the missile flies true and impacts the helicopter sending it down in flames.





Cont…



#2094817 - 01/04/07 01:46 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #08  
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BeachAV8R Offline
Lifer
BeachAV8R  Offline
Lifer

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KCLT
With all of my weapons gone I head back to home base and go through the RETURN and LANDING modes which puts me onto the final approach.





Touching down I feel a little “hot” and panic as the end of the runway rushes toward me. Despite using the brakes it seems to take forever to get below the braking chute deploy speed but once it pops out the deceleration is massive. I come to a stop nearly at the end of the runway and let my breath out.





That is one of the great things about flying the Su-25T in Flaming Cliffs: the landing phase is always exciting because you just never know how it is going to end up. The AFM makes the process so dynamic and exciting each time.

After taxiing to the ramp I pop the canopy and grin from ear to ear; dropping bombs and shooting rockets is a blast! I’m eager to get reloaded and try out new weapons and techniques on my next sortie.



My ending fuel is 260 kg. just enough to finish the whole mission.



Even though I didn’t put a severe hurting on the targets I was happy to hit a few. I expect to get a bit better through practice and experience. I’m sure it will get very interesting once I throw in some aggressive enemy units as well.



This mission can be downloaded here: http://www.mudspike.com/lomac/simhq08.zip


BeachAV8R



#2094818 - 01/04/07 01:53 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #08  
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Tom_Weiss Offline
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Tom_Weiss  Offline
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3rd Planet, Sun
Another two and ... another pack of 5. \:\)

#2094819 - 01/04/07 02:21 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #08  
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RSoro01 Offline
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RSoro01  Offline
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New Hampshire, USA
And another enjoyable read. \:\) BTW, I believe the maximum speed for deploying the chute is 300km/hr with engines set to idle. That's what I seem to recall, anyway. So being a little hot shouldn't be a problem.

EDIT:: That only one RBK-250 released was interesting, too. Usually that means that you interrupted the drop sequence by not holding down the trigger long enough. That is something you'll notice. You need to continue depressing the trigger for the complete sequence to release.

Try setting up the T as a bomb wagon (MBD-2-67U*a FAB-100). That's 32 FAB-100s and, once in the cockpit, set them up to release in a single sequence. You'll feel like you're holding the trigger down forever.

Rich

#2094820 - 01/04/07 02:28 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #08  
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BeachAV8R Offline
Lifer
BeachAV8R  Offline
Lifer

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Posts: 24,314
KCLT
Quote:
Originally posted by RSoro01:
And another enjoyable read. \:\) BTW, I believe the maximum speed for deploying the chute is 300km/hr with engines set to idle. That's what I seem to recall, anyway. So being a little hot shouldn't be a problem.
Ah! Darnit..I remember that being posted before..but I mis-remembered it as 200 kph..so I was waiting until the brakes slowed me below 200 before deploying it. No wonder I was using up so much runway..hehe...amazing I didn't go careering off the end! Thanks for the reminder.. :cheers:

BeachAV8R

Last edited by BeachAV8R; 01/16/07 04:49 AM.


#2094821 - 01/04/07 02:31 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #08  
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BeachAV8R Offline
Lifer
BeachAV8R  Offline
Lifer

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Posts: 24,314
KCLT
One other question (while I have you here)...I noticed that the FAB-100s came off in pairs when I was dropping them...but the RBK-250s came off singly..why is that? I'd actually prefer the FABs to come off singly too...

I think I saw something about ripple settings but haven't looked it up yet. That was a nice feature with F4..being able to set the release parameters very specifically.

BeachAV8R



#2094822 - 01/04/07 02:45 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #08  
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BritRadarDude Offline
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Chelmsford UK
I may be wrong but seem to recall reading a post a while ago that the ripple settings only were relevant to some (but not all) pylons, I think it was the ones nearer the fuselage. The outermost (or maybe outermost two?) A2G pylons would not be affected by the ripple settings.


Sorry Death, you lose! It was Professor Plum...
#2094823 - 01/04/07 02:51 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #08  
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RSoro01 Offline
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RSoro01  Offline
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New Hampshire, USA
Quote:
Originally posted by BeachAV8R:
One other question (while I have you here)...I noticed that the FAB-100s came off in pairs when I was dropping them...but the RBK-250s came off singly..why is that? I'd actually prefer the FABs to come off singly too...

I think I saw something about ripple settings but haven't looked it up yet. That was a nice feature with F4..being able to set the release parameters very specifically.

BeachAV8R
You might want to go back and reread my initial post, since I was adding to it not realizing you were here and posting also. But now that I'm paying attention to what was on which pylons, I know what happened.

You had the salvo size set to "1" for both the FAB-100s and RBK-250s. The inner two pylons on each wing--4,5,7,8--will release singly. OTOH 2,3,9, and 10 will always release bombs in pairs (even when salvo size is set to "1") to keep the weight distribution somewhat more balanced. Otherwise controlling the aircraft could become a real ***** with a heavy bomb, for instance, sitting out on pylon 10 and no counterbalancing weight on pylon 2.

Rich

#2094824 - 01/04/07 03:43 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #08  
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Dwayne Matheson Offline
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Winnipeg
Thanks for the post Beach, I've been waiting for the next mission for weeks (it seems!)

I was fortunate enough to have received a TrackIR4 for Christmas from my wife, so I will be able to experience this even closer to the write up then I was before.

Also all of the good follow up comments will help with my mission as well, thanks for that guys. I'll have to do some manual reading too, just to brush up on the weapons modes and stuff. I didn't know about the pickle and hold mode, I have just used the CCIP method. More reading is needed!


Dwayne
#2094825 - 01/04/07 06:09 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #08  
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Kodiak Offline
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Kodiak  Offline
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Over the hills and far away.
Great missions, I love them! Great comments also with your images, keep it up, WE love it!!
Oh, and btw, can I download that paintscheme for the SU-25T somewhere??? I don't think I have it. Would appreciate it very much!
Thanks in advance.
Regards, Kodiak.


I Want To Believe
#2094826 - 01/04/07 10:37 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #08  
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tony draper Offline
Hotshot
tony draper  Offline
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newcastle/united kingdom
Sounds like just the mission for me Captain Beach targets that don't shoot back,sadly I am getting.
Error 404: NOT FOUND!
Your browser cannot find the document corresponding to the URL you typed in.
when I click on that link.
Mind you one is a tad supprised you returned home with a full load of cannon shells,nowt like getting up close and personel in a straffing run.hee hee.
Great stuff.
:rolleyes:

#2094827 - 01/04/07 11:32 AM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #08  
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Kodiak Offline
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Kodiak  Offline
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Over the hills and far away.
Try this URL http://www.mudspike.com/lomac/simhq08.zip

Regards, Kodiak.


I Want To Believe
#2094828 - 01/04/07 02:29 PM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #08  
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Tucson AZ
Good stuff Beach, keep 'em coming.

Re target ID, yeah, that's difficult. When I was flying regularly, I had the labels on, but even then you have to be able to sort the AAA threats from the rest in a column of vehicles. And I don't know about anybody else, but the labels just overlapped so much (in a string of vehicles), I couldn't read which ones were the threats.

And they are threats, don't get too close, never overfly a column unless you are sure it's just trucks.

Heh, can't wait till the shooting goes both ways!


Pat Tillman (1976-2004):
4 years Arizona State University, graduated with high honors.
5 seasons National Football League player, Arizona Cardinals.
Forever United States Army Ranger.
#2094829 - 01/04/07 03:27 PM Re: LOMAC/FC: Training Mission #08  
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BeachAV8R Offline
Lifer
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Lifer

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KCLT
Link fixed...I think... \:\)

I would have done some cannon work..but my gas was a bit low... :p Next mission...

BeachAV8R



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